Today, I want to republish – and to have it translated in english for the first time ! – that text I wrote in …2007, just before the big bun became my everyday classic !!! Kisses and have a wonderful Sunday!

I sometimes get the craziest fashion ideas that make their way into the deep back recesses of my virtual lookbook, full with platinum hair, florescent leggings, and Westons (actually, that’s been done). And sometimes, a little nugget from my sub-conscious fashion sense makes its way by accident into a drawing and reminds me of my crazy ideas of the past.

Sometimes all this makes its way into a party itself… Take for example our special Fuck Valentine’s Day party that we decided to rename (a little more modestly) It’s Complicated Party*. It’s a chic little affair** organized at the very chic Cé where the very chic Contessa gave me the chicest compliment saying “Wow, your hair looks so good when you let it down, Garance.” To which Jen thought it time to add, “Yeah, it looks way better than that protestant bun you always like to wear.”

Yep.

I’m not the type to get offended, especially when the remark comes from a girl who still hasn’t gotten any flowers in the mail from St. Valentine and it’s almost midnight… (though they did end up coming… I wouldn’t have been so harsh.)

But yeah, I thought I had to do something.

I didn’t let my hair grow out just so that people would call me a nun!

I let my hair grow out so I could have fun with it, let it down, twist it, mousse it (yeah, okay, not too much with the moussing), to do up-dos, to be like Carrie Bradshaw, you know? Except brunette and with no Manolos. Okay, maybe more like a poor-man’s Carrie Bradshaw.

So back to the sudden appearance of my crazy idea, and the incredibly sound argument that any woman with things to do on her agenda can’t spend her entire life with her hair down***.

I thought about doing a bun. Yeah, the one in the picture, up high. And then there’s this picture here. And the bun Carrie has. Or even the editorial in Elle #3236 that was just so awesome that I thought about tattooing it all over my body just in case…

I even did a terrible job scanning in the Elle for you!

The thing that I’m wondering though is whether or not you can even do this in real life?

Or am I swimming too deeply in the deep-end of some fashion pool to realize that a bun like that is just going to make me look like a post-nuclear apocalypse Medusa?

If that’s the case, I’m begging you, please tell me.

Just write P.N.A.M. and I’ll understand.

———–

* What, you’re not on Facebook yet? Well, I guess that makes perfect sense. Feel free to stay that way and allow me to explain… on Facebook, you’re either single, in a relationship, married, it’s complicated, or in an open relationship which kind of seems like all of the above or something. I dunno.

** weirdly composed of almost all bloggers. I wonder if there is some relationship here between cause and effect? Do we maybe need to pry ourselves away from our screens and head out into the real world or something? The real world… a place with a million of nuanced options that lie between married and it’s complicated. Wait, everything isn’t just black and white?

*** Actually, I know tons of women who spend their entire life with their hair down, but sometimes you have to just let things be to keep the stream-of-consciousness spirit of the post. (If you didn’t understand anything I just said, don’t you worry one second, because I didn’t either.)

I love the post, and even back in 2007 I did not think that this kind of bun was crazy. I for one love it, and I must say that for the past two weeks that is all I have been doing to my hair, I guess I am trying to perfect the art of the perfect high but casual hair bun.
have a great sunday and good luck with the class tomorrow.
p.s I am in your city(Paris) right now and I am seeing lots of girls with their hair on a bun.

Yes, I do it all the time with a bun donut, or hair foundation (I think that’s the technical term). The best part is that it stays in all day long. If you have really long hair just loop it through the donut twice, wrap the rest of your ends around the bun and pin. I love the thing, but my dog thinks it’s a toy whenever I leave it around….

I thought I would grow my hair long so I could wear it in a bun or a ponytail or something and when I had one of the “mean reds”* I just cut it off with a manicure scissors into a really short bob. It looks terrible right now but I FEEL MYSELF again. And from now on I am going to follow my heart and take advice only when I’ll want to.

* – it’s from “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” one of the lines of Audry Hepburn.

Oh Garance! I’ve been thinking of a bun too, but with braids…you know, like Solange Knowles. Even went out to braid my hair yesterday in Paris…let’s just say “utter disaster”…hahaha. Still not discouraged though.
I think you should do it, just for the heck of it…why not.

I am getting a haircut in two weeks! I will do this style for now, but having your hair up like that all day can give me a headache. I used to do buns all the time when I was actively involved with ballet.

From one Bun Girl to another, Buns help deliver the shock and awe factor of “letting your hair down”. So when you do let your hair down you are flooded with comments about what great hair you have. I say go with it!

I have such thick, strong hair, that when I put it up I’d get bad headaches! I now have a funky ‘chin-length’ graduated bob which now seems to get a myriad of compliments. Putting this double-crowned nightmare mane up was painful … you’re lucky if you can ‘put it up’ … the alternative, for me, was like wearing a continual thick blanket!
Hope you’re keeping toasty! Best wishes from Sydney!
x Alison

you’re congenial. yes, it all has that ‘bourgeoise’ flavor to it, but when all is said and done, from academy to peasant, you still have that oh so rare glow & unsustained spirit! you’re not writing, you’re re-writing living and doing it effortlessly. you’re all that french witty (like you imagine them to be) but without the strained spine.

I’ve been wearing a bun FOREVER (even before Carrie became Carrie!) and love it. Never goes out of style. I have long hair and don’t always have time to do it in the morning…this is an EXCELLENT, classic style that never goes out of style.

Well, I am a type of girl who has her hair down all the time, but then again I have to put mousse and dry it nicely so I could have volume and a a nice shape. But that’s just for when I have to see people (and they have to see me ) cause at home I almost all the time have bun :)
23lili.etsy.com

A bun up on top or side or nape is always super stylish. and besides it tends to aid that a little lift by the side of the face – not that we need it mind you! Down , up , braided, plaited, long hair means variety – vive la difference!

I love this bun! it’s the only straight hair haircut that makes me feel sorry i have crazy short curly hair, and not straight long one :) oh, well – maybe someday i’ll have crazy long curly hair and then with tons of mousse i could pull it of…

Not in love with this look. Not quite PNAM but, rather like The Donald’s hairdresser was trying out a new kind of combover. I do like a bun at the nape, though – especially if it’s pulled over to one side.

of course you can do this !
just remember to be CONFIDENT, COOL &UBER STYLISH all things a women possesses <3
iremember how idid a top bun in school before it became a trend and everyone was like "what the hell?" but they couldnt deny ilooked AWESOME and its sucha quirky, personalised look for me. but then everyone in my school started copying it.
iwear a hijab now, so it aches for me to see all these pretty buns everywhere 'aha x!

Oh Garance I have exactly the same problem. I wear my hair in a bun most of the time, just because it’s so easy and fast. And every now and then, I wear my hair down and everyone will say: ‘OH CATHERINE ! your hair looks so PRETTY when you wear it like that ! why do you always wear it in a bun !? ‘

Oh Garance i do understand
i grow my hair long so i can tie it up without all these strings on hair around my face.it may be boring but its practical.i used to love ponytails but now my hair is so long it tickles my neck.very disturbing.so here im enjoying my boring self with a hair in bun and i dont care as it feels damn right.and even if i go to hairdresser (havent done for a while as my hairdresser thinks my hair shouldnt be so long) i can stand my hair down for few minutes and then its back to normal,back to bun.maybe we should try treating our hair bun like a red lipstick,signature.much more cooler.its all about attitude dont u think?big hug

I’ve been growing my hair for two years now just to be able to have it on a high bun. Now I have had it on that bun for a year and I’m holding my rehearsals of wearing it open, which is much trickier than I was ever able to imagine! When hair is open it gets in to all kinds of trouble. I eat it, I accidentally pull it with my bag, with my scarf, with my hand, with my jacket – you get the point. But the worst pulling happens when I’m dancing, (being a contemporary dancer I spent lots of my time rolling on the floor) so when I’m rolling around I’m usually rolling on my hair, if it is open. It’s painful!